The Art of Collecting

San Diego Mesa College will host renowned attorney and art-collector William Lerach from 12:45 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, for a lecture on his expansive international collection of indigenous art.

Lerach will speak about his passion for preserving the rich cultural heritage of indigenous cultures and sharing these items with the local community. He will lecture on his early interest in art, the development of his diverse collection, as well as the business side of connoisseurship.

The William and Michelle Lerach collection includes items from sub-Saharan Africa, New Guinea and Oceania, and Meso- and South America. Among these items are stone tool-carved pieces from the pre-contact/pre-colonial periods. It also reflects a worldwide variety of ethnological traditions while integrating several highly regarded masterpieces with ties to the Paris Avant-Garde -- including Pablo Picasso -- and the development of modern art.

Once considered one of the nation’s most powerful attorneys, Lerach is now active as a lecturer and writer. He has published numerous articles and op-ed pieces on law, investing, and business, and has been a guest lecturer across the United States and abroad.

The lecture takes place in Room G-102 and is free and open to the public. For more information on the African Art Collection at Mesa College, see www.sdmesa.edu/african-art or contact [email protected].